Life is an Adventure!
by Khloei-Faye
Summary: There is a span of 10 years before the second Mummy. What happens with our characters Rick, Evelyn, Zi? Sequel to An Adventure 10 Years in the Waiting. Disclaimer **I claim no ownership to the characters and worlds created by Stephen Sommers, Kevin Jarre, and Lloyd Fonvielle. Or those created by Stephen Speilberg and George Lucas.
1. A New Life

(It's been a little over a year since our heros had their adventure in Hamunaptra. They left their life in Egypt to start one in England.)

_My Dear Tzipporah,_

_ If you are reading this letter it either means that I am ill or my time has come. I know it's not pleasant to think about my passing, just as it is not pleasant to get this letter. But I didn't have much time to tell you all I wanted to before you left with your brother on your little adventure. _

_ I was against it, I am sure he told you. I was afraid something might happen to you. Of all my companions, you were the closest thing I had to a daughter. My heart was sick with worry. By the time I heard that you were safe, my heart almost burst with joy._

_ I am not myself without you. My new companion is as much help as she can be. I can't begin to explain how terrible I feel that I am not as close to her as I was with you. _

_ To the point of this letter, I do not have much time now. Soon after you receive this you will have a visit from my lawyer. He will bring my will to you and read it. I hope that it will come as no surprise that I have left my entire estate to you. Which is rather vast. _

_ My hope is that you do with it what will make you happy. I know you had talked about getting an education, it is 1928 for goodness sakes; this money can help you do so. I also own some properties, which includes this one in Cairo. _

_ Well, my dear, it warms my old heart that you will be well taken care of and that I am a part of it. Give my best to your brother._

_With love,_

_Rose Ashworth_

Zi couldn't believe what she was reading. She read the letter again; the words didn't change. Her mind was in shock, and that is how Rick found her.

He was coming in from a walk around the garden with Evelyn. The two purchased their large estate in the London countryside after they were married.

Their wedding was a quick affair, once the couple returned to Cairo from Hamunaptra, the wedding was pretty much planned. The camel ride through the desert allowed Zi and Evy to get closer and Rick to get to know his soon to be brother-in-law a little better.

"I must confess," Zi laughed. "I knew that my brother would love you right away. The way he looked at you," she paused. "Well, it's like no way I've seen him look at anyone else." Evelyn blushed.

The two had bonded quickly in their first adventure together, the one that introduced the two families together.

"Zi!" Rick rushed over to his sister, who was looking pale. "What's wrong?" Zi couldn't speak, she just handed the letter over to her brother. Rick read the letter a few times, shocked at its contents. He knew how close his sister had been. Rose had been her family when he was in French Foreign Legion and then in prison. He felt he owed so much to her, even though he always had a twinge of jealousy and guilt building inside him. There were so many things that he missed being gone.

"I'm so sorry," Evelyn comforted her new sister.

"I just can't believe that she's gone," Zi wiped her eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't have left her." Rick pulled his sister close; she felt comfort in his strong embrace. She let loose the tears and sobs she held in. Rick didn't say anything; he just let her cry as loud and hard as she needed.

"I know you miss her, but I couldn't have left you behind." Zi's sobs had lessened that Rick could loosen his hold on her.


	2. The Lawyer

Even if Zi wished that she had stayed with Rose, she couldn't regret leaving with her brother. Too much time had been lost. But, because of her closeness with Rose, she spent the next couple days in mourning.

Rick could only watch, as his sister would sit on the window seat in silence. She couldn't eat; sleep was restless, but came all too often. It was on the third day that the loud doorbell rang. Zi couldn't move, she just stared out the window into the rain. It was Jonathan that had answered the door. The family had taken shifts in watching over Zi, praying that she would eat something.

"Miss Tzipporah O'Connell, I presume," a gentleman's voice broke the silence of Zi's meditation. She slowly turned her head towards the man who was followed by Rick. She had been staring out the window for so long that Rick had never noticed the dark circles under her eyes or her tear stained cheeks. Apparently she had cried when no one was around. But Zi was finally out of tears; she nodded to the gentleman and sat up.

"Miss O'Connell, my name is Eric Jeffries, I am Rose Ashworth's lawyer. I assume you have been expecting me." Zi's throat was too dry to speak; she nodded and motioned towards a chair for him to sit in. "I have heard a lot about you. I had never heard Ms. Ashworth talk about someone in such esteem. I only wish we could have met under different circumstances."

"Mr. Jeffries, could I offer you something to drink or to eat?" Evelyn chimed in.

"That would be nice, thank you. Water please." Evelyn smiled and walked away. When she returned she carried two glasses, one for Zi and one for Mr. Jeffries. Zi sipped her water and cleared her throat. "I suppose we should get right down to business."

"Mr. Jeffries, when was the last time you saw Rose?" Zi asked, finding her voice.

"When she wrote the letter to you. A week before she passed away."

"I didn't mean to interrupt you, please, continue." Eric Jeffries started reading the Will. Zi paid attention, but soon her gaze returned to the window. While she was eternally grateful for all that Rose was leaving her, she couldn't stand to hear it.

30 minutes had passed, and no one said a word. Zi acknowledged Eric Jeffries, rested her head on the cool glass of the window, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

"I apologize, Mr. Jeffries, on behalf of my sister." Rick broke the silence. "She hasn't been sleeping much lately, I'm sure she's just exhausted from it all."

"I understand, Mr. O'Connell. Anytime Rose would speak of her, it was about her passion for her friends and family. Rose believed that no one felt as deep as her, and I believe it too." He looked at Zi, who was resting peacefully on the window seat. "It must be both a blessing and a curse."

Rick covered Zi with a blanket, and then led the group out of the room into the entrance hallway.

"I'm sure that my sister has some questions, but I'm not sure when she will wake up. Do you have accommodations for the night?"

"I am staying at the Rose & Crown."

"Well, then, I hope that you will join us for dinner." Eric Jeffries thanked Rick and accepted his invitation.

"I'm sure the fact that Rose left everything to your sister comes as no surprise." Eric Jeffries said during dinner.

"Maybe a little. I guess I didn't realize how close they had gotten in the two years that Zi worked with Rose."

"Rose is an old family friend, she has had many companions, but they never seemed to work out. Miss O'Connell was the first one who actually felt like family to her. She had one child, a daughter; she died when she was 8. Not that Rose was trying to replace her, but she felt that if her daughter had lived, she would have turned out like Miss O'Connell."

The rest of the dinner was filled with small talk. As the meal progressed the rain went from a gentle trickle to a downpour.

"Well, Mr. Jeffries," Rick wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I don't think that you will be returning to the Rose & Crown tonight. Perhaps we can send for your stuff in the morning."

"I don't trust leaving my belongings in a hotel, especially when I'm not staying for an extended period of time. I carry everything I need in a small bag." Rick recalled seeing Eric Jeffries arrive carrying a briefcase and a small doctors bag, which he placed on the floor in the entrance hall.

"Then it's settled. You will stay in the guest room." Evelyn stood up and walked over to the bag on the floor.

"I thank you, but it is not necessary. I'm sure I could make it to the Rose & Crown. I do not want to put you out."

"Nonsense," Evelyn replied from the hall. "The rain is pouring too hard, the roads will be slick. Not many cabs will come all this way, especially when we are offering you a place to stay." Eric Jeffries didn't argue. He was glad that the family had greeted him with such warmth. He was tired and really didn't want to wait to be picked up, then to check in.

"Evelyn will show you where you will be sleeping. I think I'll carry Zi to her bed tonight. It looks as though there could be a storm." With that, Rick walked across the hallway and into the living room where Zi was sleeping. He tiptoed toward her, wrapped her right arm around his shoulder, put one of his arms behind her knees and the other behind her back. Zi's head rolled without the window to support it. The movement stirred her from her rest.

"Where am I going?" Zi mumbled.

"Shhh, little sis. All is well, go back to sleep." He then hummed the lullaby he would sing to her when they lived in the orphanage. Zi relaxed and rested her head on her brother's chest. Rick, careful not to make and jerky movements, carried Zi up to her room and laid her in bed. After tucking her in, he kissed her forehead.

"I love you, big brother," Zi said sleepily.

"I love you, too," Rick kissed her forehead again and walked out of the room. He was so happy to finally see Zi sleep.


	3. What to do

Zi felt well rested in the morning, she reached the breakfast table before everyone else. She finally had an appetite again; she finally had closure. Still, she didn't feel right about taking the money.

"Good morning, Miss. O'Connell," Eric Jeffries entered the breakfast room still tying his bowtie. Zi had already started eating her breakfast.

"Good morning, Mr. Jeffries," Zi acknowledged the lawyer. "I'm sorry about last night. I still couldn't believe that she was gone."

"I understand completely. She was a close family friend to my parents. She remained close after my parents died." He paused, and then added jokingly, "She helped me survive law school." Zi laughed softly, she could only imagine how demanding law school could be.

Rick and Evelyn walked into the dining room just a moment later. Rick's eyes brightened when he saw that his sister's appetite had returned. It was amazing how much toll three days of not eating and not sleeping could have on the body. Zi was already thin, so when she stopped eating, Rick watched her more closely, looking for signs that she would eat.

"Good morning, both of you," Rick walked behind Zi's chair and kissed the top of her head. Zi acknowledged him but couldn't say anything because she was chewing. Rick took his seat at the head of the table and Evelyn sat to Zi's left, next to Rick.

"You look well rested, Zi," Evelyn smiled looking at her sister.

"I am, thank you," Zi replied.

"I don't mean to talk business at the breakfast table," Eric Jeffries cleared his throat. "But my time in England is short and I want to make sure that there are no pressing questions that either one of you has." Rick, Evelyn and Zi sat in silence. "It must be clear than that," he addressed Zi. "You own her small home in Cairo, along with her properties in Ireland and Greece. Accounts are already created for the upkeep of the properties. The income that she had is steady and is now in your name so you will reap the benefits." He paused. Zi was more adept to understand what he was saying, but Eric Jeffries also knew that it was a lot to grasp.

"Is all of this making sense to you, Miss O'Connell?"

"Yes it is," Zi nodded. "It's all too much, but then again, it is Rose. Small or understated was not a word in her vocabulary." Eric laughed, he understood all too well. "I guess I just never realized how much she had. I've been to her estate in Ireland, but I figured that it was just an old family place and she didn't have much to do with it." She shrugged.

"In my younger years, I remember playing in gardens of the estate. When I got a little older, I would sit out by the Aegean, at her Greek estate. But, it is a lot to take in."

The rest of breakfast was filled with idle talk about the weather and the status of the rose bushes in the garden. Zi was thankful for it, she enjoyed taking in a conversation with this gentleman, especially when it wasn't related to her inheritance.

"Well, I suppose I should be off," Eric Jeffries stood up from the chair in the living room he had been occupying. After breakfast they made their way into the living room for some more idle chit chat. But, it was almost noon and Eric had a boat to catch.

"Is it that time already?" Zi sighed, standing up and walking him to the door. This did not go beyond Rick's notice. But, this time, he believed that this man was worthy of his sister, at least, worthy enough to become more acquainted with. In his mind there was only one other man he could see his sister with.

"Have you thought about what you might do with what Rose left you?" Eric Jeffries was putting his coat on. Zi shook her head. "Might I suggest that you consider what Rose has encouraged you to do, you should go to school."

"Not many schools in England accept women," Zi said defeated.

"Maybe, but in America, I could send you information on a few all-women schools that are known for their scholastic achievements. And from what I've heard of you, you would do well there."

"I don't know, maybe."

"Let me know, you can reach me here." Eric handed Zi a piece of paper with a telegram address. "I will keep you posted from my end, please keep in touch. I would be nice to get to know you better." Zi blushed. Eric bent over to get his bags from the floor. But first, he held Zi's hand and pressed his lips against it.

"Good-bye. I only wish I could stay longer." Eric tipped his hat at Zi and Evelyn then shook Rick's hand. Zi was sad to see him go. He was her last link to Rose. But, maybe she could go to school, she thought. Maybe Eric would move to be closer so they could get to know each other outside of the watchful eye of her brother.

All these thoughts amused Zi, she couldn't imagine being allowed to go to school without Rick there to take care of her.


	4. Going to college

"I don't know that I like this, Tzipporah," Rick was helping his sister unpack in an apartment in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Zi had taken Eric's advice and enrolled in Rutgers University to study History. It took some convincing from Evelyn to finally get Rick to agree to this. It wasn't that he didn't want her to go to school, but he didn't like there being an ocean between them.

"She'll be fine, Rick," Evelyn piped in. She could see Zi getting a little misty eyed thinking about being away for two years. "This is the chance she needs to grow. Besides, when she graduates, she'll move back home and then she and I can work together."

This wasn't an easy thing for Zi to do. The last thing she wanted to do was leave her family. But, she also knew that Rose wanted her to go to school, she had considered it at one point. Zi had always loved learning, and it was something she wanted to continue.

After three days with Rick and Evelyn in New Jersey and it was time for them to go. Classes would start that Monday and Evelyn had to get back to the museum. Zi held tight to her brother.

"I wish you didn't have to go," she sniffed.

"I know, I know. Me too. But, you'll be home for Christmas." He pulled away to look at his sister. The tears that he was holding in those three days now made their debut. Zi couldn't remember the last time she saw her brother cry, if ever. "Write often, little sis, I want to hear all about your college adventures." Rick braved a smile, still not hiding the fact that he was crying. He wanted his sister to know that it was okay to be sad, though she wasn't trying to hold back her tears either.

Zi walked back to her apartment from the train station. She was exhausted from all the crying. But she was also excited to start school. She opened one of her History books on her desk and started reading it. Next to her were the rest of her books: English, Science, Math, and French. It was a requirement to take a language. She knew Greek and Arabic, she thought she might give French a try.

It was 10:00 that night when Zi finally heard her stomach growl. She had been so entranced by her book that she forgot to eat dinner. She went into the kitchen and fixed herself a chicken sandwich then returned to her textbook. She wanted to have a little understanding of each class before they started. Two hours later, she closed the back cover of her History textbook and went to bed.

Monday morning, Zi walked through campus to her first History class.

"Good morning students," the professor called once everyone was seated. He was greeted by the usual morning moan that he had gotten for years in this 8 am class. "I understand that you are probably not all morning people, however, I feel that young minds learn better in the morning." The professor walked over to his desk and wrote his name on the blackboard. "That being said, good morning class, my name is Mr. Franklin. You probably are thinking that I will be your teacher this semester, you would be incorrect." Professor Franklin motioned over to a seat occupied by the only other man in the room.

"Good morning," he said.

"This young man is working on his teaching certificate and his doctorate in Archaeology from Princeton. He will be taking care of teaching most of my classes, but in turn he is supposed to mentor a student from one of his classes." All the girls in the class were enamored by this student teacher. "Now, ladies, don't go thinking that you can slack off, I will be watching the classes."

"Thank you for that marvelous introduction," the young teacher said to Professor Franklin. "My name is Mr. Jones," he said, addressing the class. "I really hope to make history come alive for you all, and in a couple weeks I will be picking the student I will mentor. This student will work with me on a project and will learn a little about archaeology."

Zi looked at this man, he really was handsome. Tall, with brown hair and eyes, she could tell that he looked nervous. Perhaps it was the 30 girls staring at him. She knew that he might be a distraction, but a friendly distraction he was.


	5. First Day

Zi left her early class excited for her next one. She was hoping that she was good enough to be picked by Mr. Jones. Not wanting to be distracted, Zi quickly walked to her next class.

Zi's classes seemed to fly by, after she left her 3rd class, French, she was surprised that it was mid afternoon. The air around her was warm; she hugged her textbook and started across center campus. She was hoping there would be a letter from her brother when she returned to her apartment.

Nearly running part from anticipation of mail, and part for getting started on studying, Zi arrived at her apartment building out of breath. She fumbled for her mail key, reached in and pulled out three letters. She smiled when she saw one was from her brother. Forgetting how tired and out of breath she was from running home, she quickly ran up the stairs, went inside her apartment and flopped on her couch.

_My dear sister,_

_ Things just haven't been the same here since you left. Though, I can't wait to hear about your classes and all the friends you are making. I'm sure that once you got out of your classes you ran home wanting to start on your studying. Remember to have some fun too, Zi. _

_Evy and I will be heading back to Egypt; she has this desire to try to dig up some more mummies. I'm hoping that we let alone the one we just reburied. I will write you when I can. I'm not sure how long we will be there, but we should be home when you are here at Christmas time._

_Jonathan will be staying so feel free to write him. He may get a little lonely. _

_Other than that, there really isn't much going on. I am excited for our trip; it will make the time go by faster for your return. I really miss you, well, so does Evy and Jonathan, but I'm your brother so I can miss you most. _

_I love you, little sis,_

_Rick_

Zi started to feel homesick. Though he didn't say it, she knew that her brother wanted her to come home. Zi looked at the next letter a little shocked, it was from Evelyn.

_Zi,_

_ I don't know what your brother wrote to you in his letter. I know how much he misses you and I'm sure he said something to the effect of wanting you to come home, or to make you think it. We do miss you, but your brother is being selfish. You need to use this time to spread your wings. Don't let Rick try to talk you out of leaving school._

_I'm always here if you need to talk to someone or if you have any questions. Speaking of, I have a few. _

_What are your classes like? Are you excited about any class in particular? Are there any attractive men there that you would like to meet? That is a question we shouldn't let Rick know I asked._

_I'm sure he's told you of our expedition in Egypt. I found some clues that could lead us to the Book of Thoth. I don't know if you've heard of it, it was written by Thoth, the god of knowledge. It's supposed to be buried in Prince Neferkaptah's tomb, nobody know where it is. But I've found clues that could lead me to its location. _

_Enough about that, write me when you can and have fun. _

_Your sister,_

_Evelyn_

_Dear Miss O' Connell,_

_ I am delighted to hear that you were accepted and are attending Rutgers University. I have heard that it was among the finest when it came to History. Hopefully you will tell me about it sometime. I would like to continue correspondence with you._

_Until then, have a good time there and I look forward to hearing from you._

_Yours truly,_

_Eric Jeffries_

Zi placed the three letters on her desk, planning on replying to them by Saturday, opened her books and started on her homework.


	6. The Chosen One

"You are so lucky, Tzipporah," Emily said, a girl from Zi's History class. "We were all hoping that Mr. Jones would pick one of us." Of that Zi was sure of.

"I am very excited," Zi responded to the group of girls surrounding her. Out of the 3 classes Mr. Jones was teaching, he had picked her. Together they would work on a special project. The challenging part was that she still had her other homework, including History, to do.

"Well, you worked hard. And, I'll bet you are the only one that could take on the challenge. To be honest, I would have been distracted." Emily confessed. Emily and Zi had become close friends in the first two weeks of school. They had 4 classes together, which was nice to have a study partner.

"I better get to class," Zi maneuvered her way through the crowd and walked through campus. She couldn't believe that right after her last class she was going to meet up with Mr. Jones. She wasn't sure what they were going to do, but she was looking forward to learning something new.

_Dear Evelyn,_

_ I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write you back, but I didn't really have much to report, other than about my classes. But, I'm sure you read about that in my letter to Rick. I have much to tell you now._

_ As I mentioned, a young man who is working on getting his teaching certificate, also, is teaching my History class that he would choose a person to mentor. He chose me! I couldn't believe it. We had a presentation to give about any point in history up to the middle ages. We had a week and a half to do this. Mr. Jones told us that it could be from any culture, and to be creative. _

_ Thanks to you, I didn't limit my search to religion, economy or what kings did. My topic was King Arthur. I titled it __Finding King Arthur__. I started with the possible time that he could have existed and went from there. I wanted to actually put a real person to this legendary king. I had images and maps. _

_ It was the class after our presentations that he told us his decision. It was a regular class, we were all anxious to hear. Even I was, I wanted to learn new things. I was pretty sure I wouldn't learn them in class. Right before the end of class, Mr. Jones put down the chalk after writing down our homework assignment._

_ "Class," he said. "I want to let you know that you all did a spectacular job on your presentations. There was one in particular that stood out to me. This student possessed passion for the subject, and was creative in her subject matter. History isn't all about just learning about the things that have happened; it's about learning about a way of life, about the people that lived it, and about how they lived it." He paused. _

_ I wasn't sure what he was going to say next. What he had just said was so inspiring; I had to write it down. I was mid-sentence when he started speaking again. I didn't look up; I wanted to make sure that I caught everything._

_ "Miss O'Connell," I could scarcely believe that I had just heard my name. Perhaps it was a mistake. I looked up to see Mr. Jones looking at me. Maybe it was because I was writing when he was talking. _

_ "Yes," I said. I was ready to be told to put my pencil down and listen. That would have been a first, though._

_ "Congratulations, you have been chosen to work with me." I swallowed hard, still not believing what I was hearing. "I look forward to meeting with you." He smiled then. "Class is dismissed, Miss O'Connell, please come up so we can schedule our first meeting."_

_ I can hardly contain my excitement, my dear sister. I just love calling you that. I know that there will be challenges with this; I still have my other classes to attend to, which includes History. That will be a lot of work. Do you think that this is a good idea? He never asked me if I wanted to work with him, which I do. But, do you think that I should just focus on my classes and not add an extra challenge to my plate? _

_ I ask your honest opinion, though to be honest, I don't think I would be able to turn it down. And, by the time you respond, I will be well into my work with him. So, I suppose, that after your honest opinion, even if it were against working with him, I ask for your encouragement, and understanding that my letters will probably be fewer and much farther between. _

_ I better go, I have just enough time to get this letter in the mail before I meet with Mr. Jones this evening. Give my love to my brother and Jonathan. And please filter what you will say to Rick about this. I have a small crush on the professor and I don't want my brother to know. _

_Much Love,_

_Zi_

Zi quickly folded the letter and put it in the addressed envelope she had on her desk. After sealing it, she grabbed her History book and notebook, wanting to be prepared for anything, and headed back to campus. After a quick stop at the post office, Zi raced to the library and was relieved to find that she was early. She sat down at the table and pulled out her French copy of _Madame Bovary_.


	7. Not Sure

"Miss O'Connell?" Zi looked up, Mr. Jones was standing above her holding his notebooks and a brown satchel.

"Hello," Zi said, confirming it was she. Mr. Jones put his books and satchel on the table and sat in a chair across from her.

"I am looking forward to working with you. I'm guessing you are wondering what we will be doing."

"I am a bit curious, Mr. Jones," Zi responded.

"As you know I am working on my teaching certificate, but I am also attending school to get my PhD in Archaeology. In one of my classes, we are supposed to work with a promising student in the science of finding an object. Ideally, we are supposed to actually find it, or at least go in search of it. However, knowing that you have other classes, it is also possible that you just help with the research." Zi quickly closed her book that lay open in her lap and pulled out a notebook and pencil.

"I'm game, where do we start?"

"Here. We start in the library, we do some research on one of the items on the list my professor gave me and go from there." Zi was ready. "Before we start, I read in your file that you are also interested in Archaeology."

"Yes, well, a little over a year ago I went on an expedition with my future sister-in-law and my brother where we unearthed a mummy and the book of _Amun Ra_," Zi decided not to go too much into detail about the curse of the mummy and how they were able to kill him off. That was a story for another time.

"It also says here that you are from England, yet I don't detect an accent," Zi laughed a little.

"No, well, I was born in Cairo, actually. I spent most of my life in an orphanage and then with a woman who was American."

"And you understand French?" Mr. Jones was referencing the book that she had been reading when he approached her, though he did not point to it.

"Well, I'm taking the class, I've never spoken French in my life. I can read Arabic, Greek and Ancient Egyptian, but not French." Zi recalled her copy of _The Iliad_.

"I was referring to your book of _Madame Bovary_, the French translation."

"Oh," Zi looked down at the book. She didn't notice that it was in French. "I suppose I do."

"You sound surprised!"

"A little, my brother told me I had a gift for languages once, but I thought it was because I learned Arabic and he didn't."

"Perhaps you can ask him a little more about that sometime." Zi nodded, she thought it was odd that she had this quality about herself that she didn't know of. But, then again, she also realized she never took a class for Greek or Ancient Egyptian. There was something very strange about this.

"The first thing I want to do, is set up a schedule to where we can meet up at least 3 times a week. I understand that you have other homework to do and I don't want to take up all your time. I feel as though 3 times a week will be sufficient, though as we progress it might require more time. Are you up for this?"

"Yes, I would love to learn more about the field of Archaeology and I enjoy new challenges." Zi responded. Together, Mr. Jones and Zi worked out a schedule for the next few weeks, keeping in mind that the times were subject to change.

"Thank you, Mr. Jones, for this amazing opportunity," Zi said standing up and extending her hand.

"Please you may call me Indy, and it is my pleasure to work with you. I look forward to working with you." Indy replied taking Zi's hand and shaking it. "May I walk with you, Miss O'Connell, it's pretty dark outside." Zi's stubbornness almost got the better of her. She wanted to say that he didn't have to, but then she thought of her brother and how upset he would be if he found out she walked home alone.

"Thank you, and you may call me Zi," she responded. "Indy, that's an interesting name."

"Well, my real name is Henry," he said opening the door and together they stepped into the cool night air. "I prefer being called Indiana, Indy for short. But your name, who came up with that one?"

"My brother, it was hard to pronounce when I was little so he started calling me Zi for short."

They passed their time talking about what brought them to New Jersey and what interested them in History. Zi was a little bummed when they arrived at her apartment, but she knew that she had some homework to do.

"Thanks for walking me home," Zi smiled.

"A pleasure, I look forward to our next meeting." Zi knew he was just being polite but she couldn't help but blush a little as if he meant it in a less platonic way.

"Have a good night," Zi opened her building door and walked up to her apartment. She felt enamored with his mind and felt that he held the same interest. The fact was, after this meeting, she wasn't sure what her feelings were for her teacher. She wasn't sure if it was just a crush, or was he going to be like a big brother away from home?


	8. A Learning Experience

_My loving brother,_

_ How is Egypt treating you? It is nearing Thanksgiving and I have been missing you terribly. I have been keeping busy with homework and this extra work with my mentor, Indy. I am learning so much from him. When I'm done here I'll probably be able to help Evy out a little more. _

_ I have some news about my Christmas vacation. Indy was given his assignment. We are supposed to research an object in hopes of finding it. His professor understands that we may not find it, but he was given funding to spend Christmas break to go in search of it. For this he'll need my help. _

_ We have already started our search in the library, looking at all the lore and history about the object, and we even came up with where to start, Italy. We are hoping that if we put our heads together we can either find this object, or at least reach the end of our search in a short amount of time. He believes that with my language ability I will make the search easier._

_ Which reminds me, I forgot to ask you this before for a couple of reasons. One, we were fighting a mummy, and two, I just plain forgot. I had so much more to tell you about school. But, now that I'm thinking about it: you said once that the nuns at the orphanage said that I had a gift with languages, what were you meaning by that? I thought it was because I was able to pick up Arabic so quickly, but then I was reading a French novel and I didn't realize it was in French. Please enlighten me, dear brother. _

_ Indy and I will be leaving right after my last exam. I'm really hoping that I can still make it home for Christmas. I really miss you and I ache to see you. I will write often to let you know what we are doing. But right now, I have my exams to study for. Wish me luck._

_ Give my love to Evy and Jonathan. I will see you all again soon._

_Love always,_

_Tzipporah_

Zi folded the letter and put it in an envelope. She would take that to the post office the next time she was heading to campus. Until then, she pulled out her Shakespeare book for her English final. She was assigned to read _Romeo & Juliet_ and give an oral presentation on her view of it. She was told that there was no wrong answer as long as she could defend it.

Zi got halfway through the play and already knew her view and it wasn't a positive one.

* * *

"Did you find anything yet?" Rick asked Evelyn, holding a torch above her head so she could read the writing on the wall. Evelyn was kneeling close to the ground trying to read some writing that looked to be worn from just from time and sand.

"Nothing yet, I just can't seem to make out these symbols. They look so familiar, but yet, they are so worn they could be something else entirely."

"How far would the difference of the message be?"

"Very far. We're talking possibly out of the country and into Israel."

"Could that be the hint that you should go the other way?" Rick asked, not knowing too much about the book itself.

"Not necessarily, it's possible that the book could have traveled to Israel and possibly made it's final resting place. Truth is, we don't know where the tomb is for Neferkaptah. It could be in India or Greece for all we know." Evelyn turned back to her work. Noticing that her light was being inconsistent, she knew that Rick's mind was on something else. "Have you read the letter from your sister yet?"

"Not yet, I thought I would wait until we were done in here so I could devote my time to it and write back." Taking the hint, if one was really given, Evelyn stood up and brushed the sand from her hands and knees.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm rather tired of kneeling in the sand and would like to grab some lunch." Rick smiled. He really didn't want Evelyn to stop her work on his account, but he was still happy that she did.

Up at their camp, Evelyn pulled out some bread and salted meat of a basket and gave some to Rick. Rick was deeply engrossed in his letter; he just couldn't believe what he was reading. It must have read on his face, Evelyn looked at him concerned.

"Is the news bad?" Evelyn inquired.

"A little," Rick handed the letter to Evelyn. "Seems as though Zi will be going on a little dig with this professor of hers. I don't like it."

"Rick, I think you're overreacting," Evelyn placed her hand on his, trying to confort him. "This will be a good learning experience for her. And, who knows, maybe we could meet up with her."

"Problem," Rick pointed to a paragraph in the letter. "She's going to Italy, our clue either leads us further into Egypt or into Israel. I don't see the bright side here."

"You have a point. But I'm sure that Jonathan would love to go to Italy. He could keep an eye out for her."

Evelyn didn't return to her wall that day. The two sat at their camp discussing the possibilities of Jonathan traveling to Italy or perhaps themselves. The moon had risen high in the sky by the time they decided that they couldn't think of a good excuse for anyone to randomly show up so they would just have to leave well enough alone and hope to see Zi soon.

Rick was not content with this decision. He didn't know anything about this man that would be traveling with his sister. Plus, she had asked a question that had an answer that was better given in person.

Rick just stared into the fire, thinking of a good reason to show up in Italy. He was just formulating a plan when he heard a loud rumbling coming from the desert. Listening closely, Rick was able to make out the sound of galloping horses. How many, he didn't know. But he was prepared to defend their camp if needed. Visions from Hamunaptra flooded his memory. And they came more real with the appearance of a familiar figure.


	9. A Welcomed Surprise

"Ahlan wa sahlan, my friends," the figure greeted Rick and Evelyn. The voice sounded familiar, Rick couldn't see the man's face as it was covered with black material to keep the sand out of his face.

"Ardeth," Evelyn smiled. Yes, now Rick remembered. It wasn't his fault that his mind was still on his sister. "What brings you here?"

"I was traveling with a small group of Medjai when we saw your camels and thought we would look into who was here. It was only when we got closer that I told them I would continue alone." Rick offered him a seat at their campfire.

"Please don't tell me that we are about to unearth another mummy you have sworn to protect," Rick said with a sarcastic smile while he stoked the fire.

"No, my friend," Ardeth laughed. "Only to aid you in your quest."

"I'm confused, you don't even know what we are looking for," Evelyn said.

"There is only one reason why someone would be here, they are looking for the Book of Thoth."

"Which confuses me even more," Evelyn admitted. "Legend says that it is in the tomb of a prince and that the last person who unearthed it, terrible things happened to him. Wouldn't this be something you would want to stop us from?"

"If we just go by the written legend," Ardeth patted his horse's nose that nuzzled him. "What you did not read was that in order to safely remove the book from the tomb you would need a Medjai scimitar which is wielded by a Medjai." He paused again, letting it sink in. "According to legend, you need me."

"You are more than welcome," Rick said welcoming him with a pat on the back.

"Perhaps, then, you could help me with an inscription I found on a wall. I'm not sure where we go from here," Evelyn said.

"It will be my pleasure, we will look at it first thing in the morning." The three sat around the fire catching up and talking about the old days. Rick learned from Ardeth what had happened that day at Hamunaptra when he was separated from Zi.

"Did your sister not come with you? I cannot deny and say that I do enjoy talking with her." Ardeth looked around.

"No, she went to school in New Jersey. Not my favorite thing, but she wanted to spread her wings."

"I am sure that she is learning a lot and will be home before you know it."

"That's what I thought," Rick and Ardeth were speaking in hushed voices as not to wake Evelyn who had fallen asleep about an hour after the arrival of Ardeth. "It appears that she was chosen to be mentored by a student professor and they will be going to Italy in search of an object that she has yet to tell me."

"Well, that is a shame. I do enjoy talking with Miss O'Connell." Being the protective older brother he was, Rick wasn't sure if Ardeth was really just interested in talking with his sister or perhaps maybe he was interested in her romantically. He didn't know much about Ardeth to be for it, or really against it. But he did like the amount of respect Ardeth showed when talking about his sister.

* * *

Zi was excited as she walked through the streets of Rome with Indy. He looked a lot different then when they were at school. Once on the plane, Indy took a moment to change out of his suit and bowtie into brown pants, a white shirt with leather jacket and a fedora. On his belt he carried a gun, some extra bullets and a bullwhip.

Zi was also careful when she packed. She made sure to pack light, only bringing a small satchel with one spare set of clothes, her notebook and a stone that she had carried around since she found it when she was 5. It was her good luck charm. Concealed in her boot, she had her derringer that her brother lovingly re-bestowed on her and some extra bullets as well in her satchel.

"Where do we start?" Zi asked. "Oh, wait, let me guess. The library." Indy smiled. There was something about Zi that he liked.

"You catch on fast," Indy teased. "If the clue that you found in the rubbing of an old Hebrew shield is correct, then we should be able to find the next clue in the book that you translated."

Zi followed Indy as he walked in and out of Piazza's looking for the library their research concluded they go to. After 30 minutes of walking, Indy finally spotted the library.

"There it is, La Biblioteca Angelica," Zi looked up at the façade of the massive library. She couldn't believe that she was about to enter a library that was filled with manuscripts from 1604. Contained within the shelves was a world of knowledge that Zi was only too willing to immerse herself in.

Zi shook her out of her daydream as Indy grabbed her arm and led her through the doors. Zi was welcomed by the musty smell of books. Looking around she saw three stories filled with books. There were hallways, that when she looked down them, all that could be seen were books. A person could get lost in this place.

"Buon giorno," Indy said to the librarian. "My name is Indiana and this is Miss O'Connell, we have an appointment with Signore Arturo." The librarian nodded and smiled.

"Un momento," the librarian walked away leaving Zi and Indy alone in the massive entryway.

"This is amazing," Zi finally said. "But, how are we going to find what we need?"

"With any luck, Signore Arturo will be able to direct us to the area where we can start looking. We will need to work fast; we only have a 3-hour appointment. However, I'm sure that if we need more time we could schedule another appointment."

"Buon giorno, Signore Jones, come sta?" Indy looked at him, his Italian was a little rusty, but he was able to hold a little bit of a conversation with Signore Arturo.

"Buon giorno, ti presento il mio amico, la signorina Tzipporah O' Connell,"* Indy motioned to Zi who smiled at the introduction.

"Piacere di conoscerla, Signore Arturo," Zi accepted Signore Arturo's outstretched hand. "Hai una bella biblioteca, Signore. Non riesco a credere quanito libri ci sono."**

"Ah, parla italiano?"

"Si, Signore, parlo Italia," Zi responded. Indy was amazed. He couldn't understand what the two were rattling on about. From all the time he had spent with Zi, he knew that she understood Arabic, French, Greek, Hebrew was a new one thanks to a book that was discovered in the library back in New Jersey. He had no idea that she knew Italian. But he also believed that this was news to Zi also.

Indy just stood back allowing Zi to expand her knowledge of Italian. But after a while, he knew that they needed to get going. Knowing that Signore Arturo's English was almost non-existent, as was Indy's Italian, Indy tapped Zi on the shoulder.

"Mi scusi!" Zi turned to Indy. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but would you be able to ask the Signore where we might be able to find books on King Solomon?"

"Of course, sorry Indy, I got distracted," Zi smiled sheepishly.

"It's alright," Indy replied.

"Signore," Zi turned back to Signore Arturo. "Dove potrei trovare I libri su re Salomone?"

"Ah, si, questo modo," Signore Arturo led Indy and Zi into the middle of the library. "Vi lascio qui." With that, Signore Arturo said goodbye and left them surrounded by books with no clue where to start.

(I don't speak Italian, I found these translations online. They may be somewhat incorrect, but I thought I would try it.)

* "May I present my friend Miss Tzipporah O'Connell."

** "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Arturo. You have a beautiful library, sir. I cannot believe how many books there are."

*** "I will leave you here."


	10. A New Destination

"I can't seem to find anything here," Zi and Indy had been pouring over books on King Solomon for two hours. "We need more time, Indy."

"You're right," Indy closed the book he was looking at. "I'll make another appointment for tomorrow. Our time is almost up, try and see if you can make any headway on where we should start tomorrow." With that, Indy left the room to set up another appointment.

Zi sighed and turned back to her book. She wasn't sure where to look next; this book wasn't giving her any clues. The text was a legend about King Solomon and Asmodeus, something about demons and power. How far could she get by just reading legends? She turned the page and saw a very nice illuminated drawing. The artist had rendered King Solomon and the character Asmondeus standing by the sea. This was after Asmondeus had thrown King Solomon's ring, his seal, into the sea and the fish was about to swallow it. In the background, surrounded by the rising sun, was a synagogue.

At first look, Zi figured it was a castle, the castle of Solomon. But upon closer examination she noticed some Hebrew characters. They were small, but not impossible to see. On the building she translated the writing to: Kfar Bar'am. She knew that was a synagogue, but she still needed proof that this was the place to go next. In the radiance of the sun behind the building, there was a sentence.

"You ready to go?" Indy walked in just as Zi was getting to the words in the sun.

"I think I may have found something," Zi said. She pointed to the picture. "I have no proof that this is what we need to be focusing on, but I haven't yet translated the sentence above Kfar Bar'am."

"Can you read it?"

"It's a little smudged, I'll write it down and then I can work on it a little longer."

"Good job, Zi. I think you might be on to something here."

* * *

"I see where you might be confused," Ardeth looked at the inscription that stumped Evelyn the night before. "This part of the hieroglyphic has almost been lost due to time and weather. In fact, you were incorrect on your assement. Following the last character that you see is yet another. The clues are pointing to Greece. Not exactly the course I would have thought."

"Huh?" Evelyn looked closer. Laying the torch closer to the corner and nearly laying on the ground herself, she could see a faint character that she had missed. If it weren't for that character she would have been heading to the wrong destination. "Well, I am very glad that you dropped by our little camp."

"As am I, my friends." Ardeth helped Evelyn to her feet and the three walked to camp.

"I suppose we need to figure out the best course of action on getting to Greece. Is there a specific place that we must look?"

_My dear sister,_

_ Our trip has been fairly productive. We learned many things about this legend of the book. Apparently we are in need of the services of a Medjai. We didn't know about this until an old friend found our camp, heard of what we were searching for, and told us so. Whether it's truth or not, it's still nice to have him along. I owe so much to him._

_ Surely, Zi, you know of whom I am talking about. Ardeth. He seemed saddened when he learned of you not being a part of our party. He echoed my sentiments exactly. I really miss you little sister. But, Evy keeps telling me that you are going to learn a lot from this professor Jones, and I'm sure you will have many stories to tell me when we do finally see each other again. Mere words in letters are not sufficient when it comes to talking about your adventures._

_ I wish that I could write more. It seems as though the wall that Evy had been spending so much time wondering if we were heading to Israel or deeper into Egypt was incorrect. A more worn hieroglyphic revealed that we were heading to Athens. I can't deny that a trip to a different part of the world and away from mummies thrills me a bit. _

_ Please write when you can, I really hope that you are finding all that you are looking for. Let me know if you need anything, or if you need your big brother to come and help you out. _

_ Love,_

_ Rick_


	11. Unbeknownst to Them Both

"I can't believe I didn't see it, I'm sorry Indy," Zi said as they boarded a boat.

"What do you have to be sorry about? It's not your job to figure everything out. We work as a team. I am just happy that you have a gift for languages."

After looking at the same image in the book she was looking at on the first day at the library, Indy noticed something. The image was supposed to be a synagogue however it had something that no synagogue he knew of had. He noticed that there were columns on the drawing of the building, not just any columns, but Doric columns. After further study, Zi realized that the sentence she had a hard time reading was Greek. What made it odd was that it was written the way one would write if they were writing in Hebrew. They were on their way to Greece.

"Are you going to read the letter your brother sent you?"

"I don't know; I'm a little nervous that he won't be happy that I'm not going to be home for my vacation. I'm afraid that he might tell me that he will come and get me if I don't go home." Zi turned the unopened letter in her hand. She wanted to know what her brother had to tell her. She wanted to know of the many adventures they were having in Egypt. But she didn't want to feel homesick; she didn't want to regret her decision to help Indy.

"Well, the benefit is, if he is planning on coming to get you, you are no longer there. He will have a hard time following you." Zi could see that. But then, she also knew how he could get when he was worried. He would stop at nothing to find her.

"Perhaps I'll read it when we get to Athens. I'm rather excited to see the Parthenon. But, I'm not sure of what we're looking for when we get there."

"We'll know it when we find it." Indy tipped his fedora over his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Zi stared out the window and prepared for the long journey ahead. After a while, the warm breeze did its work on Zi and she gave into the drowsiness.

When Zi woke up, Indy was looking through a tattered leather journal. That was the same journal he had her write the words from the picture and its translation. He kept staring at the drawing he did of the picture, hoping that it would reveal something.

* * *

Rick read over the last letter his sister had mailed to him as he sat on the balcony of the lodging room overlooking the Acropolis. Evelyn was sitting in a chair eating breakfast.

"I wish that Zi was here," Rick sighed.

"Rick, she is off on her own adventure, I can assure you she is probably having more fun there than with us." Evelyn responded.

"But can he protect her?"

"I'm sure this Professor of hers will protect her if the need arose." Evelyn looked over at Rick who wanted to protest. But she gave him a look that said, 'there will be no more discussion' and Rick was silent. This was a battle he wouldn't win…not with Evelyn at least. He knew the only person who would agree with him would be Ardeth.

With that, Rick stood up and walked back into the room where Ardeth was sitting quietly.

"So, you wish your sister was here," Ardeth said. His back was to the door that Rick came in.

"How did you know?"

"I could hear you talking to Evelyn." Ardeth replied turning to him.

"Oh," Rick responded, sitting down. "What am I going to do? I can't leave here to go in search of her, Evy would find out and she would kill me." Ardeth raised his eyebrows. "Okay, okay, so she wouldn't kill me. But if I ruined my sister's good time then I would never hear the end of it."

"That is very true," Ardeth agreed.

"Is it wrong for me to worry about her so?"

"No, you worry because you love her."

"I don't know what to do," Rick said, defeated.

"Here is what you do, then. You continue on this adventure. Your sister and your path will cross again. Whether sooner or later, your sister will see you again. Let her use this time to grow."

"You sound a lot like Evy," Rick said. "Fine," he said after a slight pause. "I'll let her be." He headed out of the room, but then turned around. "But, the moment she writes and tells me that she needs me, I'm going."

"As you should." Ardeth responded just as Rick left the room.


	12. Same Place

"Not to sound like a broken record, Indy, but where do we start?" Zi asked as they walked up to the Acropolis in Athens.

"Well, I think we are past the time for being around books. I think we need to think about the legend itself and read the walls."

"Got it," Zi nodded. At least she hoped that she got it. This wasn't her first time on an adventure in the archaeological field, but this was the first time that she played such a significant role in it.

Zi and Indy were walking between the Parthenon and the ruins of the old temple of Athena when Indy stopped.

"I think we need to start there," he pointed to his left.

"What building is that?" Zi asked looking.

"That's the Erechtheum, it's a shrine dedicated to Erichthonius, a legendary Greek hero. Although, some would say that it was built in honor of king Erchtheus."

"That would explain the name," Zi interjected.

"Yes, and if that is so, it is believed that his tomb is nearby. One of the details that I noticed when I was looking at the picture that was in the book were the Doric columns." Indy opened up his notebook to show Zi the sketch. Zi looked closer and noticed that it wasn't Indy's journal that she was looking at, but Indy had borrowed the book from the library. Whether it was the kind of borrowing her brother did, she didn't know. Indy interrupted her thoughts by continuing the lesson. "It's true that those types of columns are one of the types of columns used in Greek architecture.

"If the columns were Doric, I would have led us towards the Parthenon. However, upon a closer look, I noticed that they were Ionic columns. Not only that, if you look here," Indy pointed to the furthest column, "you will notice that the column doesn't look like any column used traditionally by the Greeks: Doric, Ionic or Corinthian. It's a figure of a woman." Zi looked closer. "And I know only of one temple or building with statues as columns, that would be the Erechtheum."

* * *

Rick was sitting just outside what was left of the Sanctuary of Pandion. Evelyn and Ardeth were examining the walls within the sanctuary and Rick just wanted a place to clear his head. He was looking out across the Acropolis when he saw someone from a distance that looked a bit like Zi. The sun was beating down on him, he couldn't be sure of what he saw.

"Evy! Come here quick," he called back to his wife. "I think I see Zi." Evelyn hurried up to Rick. By the time she made it, the two were out of sight.

"Rick, I think the sun is too much for you, you are seeing things." Evelyn placed her hand on his shoulder. "I think you are missing Zi so much that you want to see her here." Rick nodded. That made sense. He really did want his sister to be there with him.

"Evelyn, Rick, I think that I know where we need to look next," Ardeth said coming from behind.

"Where's that?" Evelyn asked looking at him.

"At a place where women keep the temple up."


	13. Finding a Connection

Indy and Zi walked inside the Erechtheum, these were very unlike temples in Egypt that had writing on everything. The walls in here had none to speak of.

"So, are the walls supposed to 'speak' to us then?" Zi asked noticing that Indy was feeling the walls as if there was something written that couldn't be seen.

"All we have to go on right now is a picture and some writing, now we have got to rely a little on hope that there is a clue in here. Something that will lead us to understand the seal more and to its whereabouts." Zi understood; there are some things that must be relied on faith.

Zi followed Indy's example, looking closely to the walls. She had strayed away from him, but she had seen a line that was engraved in the wall. Very faintly there was an image of a hieroglyph. 'There must be more to this,' Zi thought.

"Hey, Indy," Zi called. "You need to see this." Indy looked up, noticed that Zi was a ways down the hall, and started walking up to her. Zi, not being able to wait, started brushing away some dirt that had built up on the wall away. Her finger must have grazed some kind of kind of booby trap; it opened a trap door in the floor that Zi was standing on. Indy was just a few steps away as Zi went through the floor.

The trap door slid Zi down a winding slide. As she slid down, torches lit up around her as if by magic. This would have probably freaked Zi out had she not been a witness to the last adventure she had with her brother. The torches, however, showed Zi that the slide was almost at an end, and she couldn't see the bottom, only a rope that hung right in the center of the room.

Zi thought quickly and grabbed the rope as she reached the end. It was a good thing too, for while torches lit up on the way down, she noticed that the slide had been affected by time. She didn't know where she was, or how to get out of it. This would be a hard thing to explain to her brother, she laughed to herself.

"At least there's light," Zi said to herself, just wanting to make sure she still had her wits about her. She looked around at the torches and realized then that colossus statues surrounded her.

They were done in the Greek style of scenes from the Old Testament. Which was odd, Zi thought, since the Greeks didn't follow the stories of the Bible. But there was a statue of Noah, with the waves of the flood and the animals on the ark on his robes. In his hand was a scroll that had engraved in it the Seal of Solomon. They were on the right track. Next to him was a statue of a king that was pointing across the room.

In this statues robes was engraved and image that Zi could just make out. There were two women in front of the throne of a king. Between them was a man holding a sword in his right hand, in the act of swinging. In his other hand was a baby being held by its foot. Zi knew of only one story that involved these types of characters.

"That must be King Solomon," Zi said excitedly, almost letting go of the rope. Across the room, where the king was pointing, was another colossus statue.

* * *

Indy was starting to panic. He didn't know how Zi got sucked into the floor. Was there a button or a lever somewhere?

"Zi, can you hear me?" He yelled into the floor. "If you can, I will find a way to get you out of there." Indy looked around; he was a bit at a loss. There was writing on the wall, but he didn't know what all the symbols meant. He didn't want to hit the same lever and be sucked down too, he wasn't sure what was at the bottom, or if there was a way out once he got in.

Diligently, Indy studied the wall, looking at the notes that Zi wrote in his notebook of some of the symbols that they had discovered early on in their search.

After a few minutes, Indy found something. He saw the outline of the trap door. After moving from on top of it, he dragged his fingers across the wall. He found, just as Zi did, an area that was caked on with dirt. He started brushing the dirt away. As he did, the floor started opening. He had found the trigger for the trap door.

He glanced in and saw Zi hanging on a rope.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine. My arms are a little tired though," Zi joked.

"I'll get you out in a moment, I just have to figure out how to keep this door open."

"Alright, I'll be here," as she said that, the floor closed and Zi was left alone.

"Okay, now to figure out how to hold this button in." Indy glanced around the hall. There was nothing and he didn't want to stray too far.

"Have you lost something?" Came a female voice with a British accent.

"No, I just need more than two hands, so it seems," Indy responded.

"Well, that is where we can help," she replied indicating the two men that were with her. One man wore all black, and had tattoos on his cheeks. The other wore brown pants and a white shirt, a big contrast to the other man.

"Great," Indy said standing up. "You see the outline in the dirt there?" Indy asked pointing to the outline he drew. The three guests nodded. "That's a trap door, I need one of you to hold this trigger so I can descend into where ever this leads and come back out." The three nodded and the woman walked over to the side and pushed in the button.

The floor opened and Indy braced himself on the slide until he was close enough to Zi so that he could grab onto the rope.

"Hey, what's new?" Indy asked Zi when he reached her.

"Oh, you know, just hanging around." Zi responded.

"Can you climb up and get on my back?"

"I think so," Zi's arms were tired from holding herself up, but she used all the strength she could muster to climb up the rope and crawl on his back. The rest of the work Indy did.

Zi crawled up out of the underground room and was helped by the gentleman in black.

"Are you okay?" Indy asked as he came up behind Zi.


	14. Coming Together

"Zi?" Zi looked up to her name.

"I'm sorry, sir, how do you know my student?" Indy asked. Zi could tell that he was getting a little protective, so she stepped in.

"This is my brother, Rick," she interjected. "Rick, this is my professor, Mr. Jones."

"Pleased to meet you, Rick, you have quite an extraordinary sister," Indy reached out his hand to shake Rick's.

"Professor Jones, I have heard very little about you, but it is nice to meet you." Rick returned his handshake. "This is my wife, Evelyn, and our friend, Ardeth."

"Nice to meet you as well," Indy responded.

"Rick, what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you read my letter?" Zi looked down, she hadn't had the chance yet. With all the research and excitement of Athens, Zi couldn't find the time.

"We have just been so busy, I'm sorry." Zi responded.

"You could have told me you were no longer in Rome," Rick said.

"I really am sorry." Zi turned her attention to Indy. "Oh my gosh, Indy, you will never guess what I saw down there." Indy listened close. Sure, he went down there, but his first priority was to get her back to safety. "There were statues down there. There was Noah, Moses, King Solomon and someone that we weren't expecting."

"Who?" Indy asked, not liking the cliffhanger.

"An Egyptian prince, Khaemweset, who is thought to have been the last possessor of the Book of Thoth." Zi looked at Evelyn.

"So, what you're saying is that somehow the Seal of Solomon is linked to the book that we're looking for?" Evelyn asked.

"That's what I'm thinking. On the statue of prince Khaemweset, there were images of the Book of Thoth surrounded by serpents and the Seal of Solomon on the cover. Also," Zi continued, "the Seal of Solomon was a ring, that ring was on the right hand of this statue." She was proud of her discovery. "I think the only presumable conclusion is that the seal was used to close the Book of Thoth, therefore, the two are connected."

"Extraordinary, professor, is right," Ardeth said.

"It looks like our paths did cross again," Rick said to Ardeth. "You were right."

"So, it looks like we get to work together," Evelyn said excitedly. "I guess we need to pool our resources." Indy and Zi agreed and the five left the Erechtheion.


	15. Reunited

"I knew it," Rick said to Ardeth when they were back at the lodging house. "I knew she was here. See, I wasn't seeing things." Ardeth just sat, listening quietly. "I bet Evy just can't believe it, I was right. This is such a relief, now I know that she will stay safe. She looks tired, did she look tired to you?" Rick was walking around the room. He was so happy that his sister serendipitously was in Athens.

"Calm down, O'Connell. I am sure she is just as happy to see you, but you have got to relax." Ardeth replied calmly.

"But Ardeth, you have no idea how much I have been worrying about her. And for good reason; you saw that this professor of hers is unable to keep her out of danger. I mean, if she was with me she wouldn't have fallen into that trap door."

"You are right, but she was not with you, she was with him. All things happen for a good reason, my friend. You must understand that each fork in the road molds Miss O'Connell into the woman that she is to become."

"Do you enjoy speaking in cliché's?" Rick asked, smiling.

"It is one of my many talents, my friend," Ardeth joked back.

* * *

"So, describe again what you saw," Evelyn said to Zi. Indy, Zi and Evelyn were sitting on the balcony of Evelyn and Rick's lodging room. Zi repeated everything that she saw while Evelyn and Indy took notes.

"There has got to be a clue as to where we go from here," Zi added when she finished describing the statues.

"I think you already figured it out," Indy said after looking over all the notes he had taken. "You said that the statue of King Solomon was pointing at a statue of prince Khaemweset."

"Yes," Zi affirmed.

"You also mentioned that the statue of the prince was pointing down."

"Right," Zi wasn't following yet.

"I think that this statue is pointing down toward his own tomb," Indy concluded.

"It can't be that easy," Zi replied.

"It really isn't, if it weren't for the trap door, we may never have found it. If you think about it, it wasn't that easy." Zi laughed.

* * *

"So, Zi, how has your adventure been so far, before we joined you?" Evelyn asked Zi when they were finally alone to talk.

"It was enlightening, to say the least," Zi responded.

"You were right about your professor, he is very handsome. I think he likes you very much."

"Don't tell my brother about that," Zi laughed.

"Don't worry, I won't," Evelyn smiled taking a sip of her tea. "What do you think of him?"

"I don't really know. I mean, he's smart and I'm learning a lot from him. But, I'm just not sure."

"Well, either way, I'm glad that we met up with you. Rick has been going nuts with worry. I know that he's really happy that you are here." Evelyn smiled. "Earlier, he swore that he saw you. I was so sure that he was overheated. I will never hear the end of this." Evelyn laughed.

Zi really was happy that she was now with her brother. She had missed him very much. She was noticing her feelings towards Indy were not in the romantic sphere. She felt a sisterly affection towards him. But, brotherly presence or not, he still couldn't replace Rick. No one could.

* * *

"Good morning, Rick," Zi was sitting on the balcony the next morning eating some fruit and yogurt.

"Good morning," Rick responded, kissing Zi on the top of the head, then pulling up a chair next to his sister. "How are your hands?" Zi hadn't thought about her hands that were raw from the rope. When they had returned to Rick and Evelyn's room.

"Oh, they are okay. They hurt just a little bit," she responded.

"Zi, if I were with you, this wouldn't have happened," Rick pulled his sister closer hugging her.

"You're right, if you were with me we wouldn't know where to go next."

"Ardeth was right about you," Rick laughed. "You are shaping into a strong young woman. Perhaps I need to let you take care of yourself a bit." He smiled. That was something he never thought he would ever say. "I can't promise I'll be any good at it though."

"I still need my big brother, don't you worry." Rick felt reassured. One of the scariest things in his life was that his sister didn't need him anymore.


	16. Another Destination

"At least we know that this rope reaches the bottom, but how will we get out once we are done?" Evelyn asked. The five had ventured into the room behind the trap door. The bottom wasn't much further from the end of the slide. Zi was on her brother's back since her hands were in bandages so she couldn't hold onto the rope.

"Now all we need to do is find this tomb," Rick said looking around.

"My guess is at the foot of his statue," Indy chimed in.

"You would be wrong then," Zi interjected. "If you follow the line from his finger then you will see that it's pointing to the base of King Solomon's statue. I think we should start there."

"Good job, Zi," Indy said. Rick shot a look at him. Why was Zi's professor calling her by her first name? He didn't approve of this. "There's a little bit of writing here, can you translate?"

"_Beneath this stone lies an Egyptian prince who once was cursed but with a star he Sealed himself a new fate._"

"What do you suppose that means?" Rick asked looking over Zi's shoulder.

"Well," Indy said. "The Seal of Solomon is believed to look like the Star of David. I think it is meaning, that this prince Khaemweset found the book and apparently opening the book caused him to become cursed. But, in order to remove the curse from him he found the Seal of Solomon and used it."

"So, now all we have to do is figure out where the book is hidden," Rick responded.

"Yes, which probably means we need to figure out how he got possession of the book." Indy replied. "Shall we open the tomb then?" Zi stepped back. She remembered the last time she was around when a body was unearthed, that didn't go so well.

"Well, that's a first," Evelyn said, looking into the coffin. The body of the prince was surprisingly in good condition, and not in mummy form. That could be explained because he was buried in Athens. Clutched in the prince's hand, in place of the ankh, was a papyrus scroll. "He is holding the traditional crook and whip, however the ankh is missing. It represents that he has good judgment."

"Well, if he became cursed because of this book, perhaps that didn't show good judgment," Indy replied grabbing the scroll from the princes' hand. "I think we should see what this is."

* * *

Back at the lodging house, Indy, Evelyn and Zi were glancing over the scroll. It was a map with both hieroglyphics and Hebrew characters on it.

"This looks like a map that could lead us to the seal," Indy said excitedly.

"And, possibly, the Book of Thoth," Evelyn added. "From what I can tell from these hieroglyphics, the Seal is tied to the book."

"From the looks of it," Zi interjected, after reading the Hebrew. "The Seal is somewhere in Jerusalem." The three of them paused.

"It looks as though we are going to Jerusalem then," Indy announced, rubbing his hands together with anticipation.


End file.
